|
Anastira -> Shadow Mists (1/28/2011 14:05:42)
|
Only the beginning - more to come...from somewhere.
Prologue
Dusky sunlight filtered in through the high-arching doorways of the Hold. A lithe, slim figure was gloriously outlined in the half-light, long hair cascading over her shoulders, eyes gleaming dangerously. A sword was strapped to her side, and she held a long, slender, staff in her fingers.
“I will not have it this way,” she said softly, and though her voice was calm, and dignified as ever, tears blossomed in her eyes. Her face was set with lines of anger, knuckles white against the dark rosewood staff she held.
“Taima,” the man before her cautioned, stepping out of the shadows. “You must not resist, or there will be immense...hardships. You have the Gift. You will learn to use it. I cannot have you laze around, Taima, or take your own path. Our planet depends on you, along with this world. You must control the Miste. But first, I shall introduce you to Rianth.”
A young boy stepped forward, dark eyes searching, surveying. He greeted the girl with a nod and set to watching her intently, while stroking the blade of the long dagger he held in his hand. The last of the day’s light illuminated his face to Taima. She sighed and turned to the man.
“Must you suffer me to meet someone I would not want to have as an acquaintance?”
The man laughed, a cold, sharp sound. “My dear apprentice, it is not for you to de-cide. Besides, he is the best I’ve seen but for yourself, and he is the one who asked to see and meet you.” He leaned closer to Taima, the insane smile still hovering on his lips. “I must say, you would be striking together. But enough! You must go, Taima. Take heed of the time, and remember my cautions.”
“If I may follow in her stead?” Rianth added.
“You may,” the man said silkily, and acknowledged his charge with a nod.
1
“You are well-trained.”
“Mm.”
Drena smiled. “You are. You must use it to your liking, though. Learn.” She sighed, sipping a glass of juice. “I wonder why you did not accept my offer of Enhesta drink, Solreyah. It is very good. This is a high-quality restaurant – ah, perhaps you do not look around yourself enough. Your world can not be restrained to your mind. It would be a pity if you were. And, mind you take no offence, but you need someone besides yourself.”
“Nessyr has gone out with me once or twice,” Solreyah supplied.
“Really,” Drena said. “I believe you mean Nessyr Rey?” She paused. “Solreyah, I do suggest you try this juice – it is wonderful. You would be sorry you did not try it if you did not.”
“Please,” Solreyah said, and for once a look of annoyance and disgust registered on her face. “I don’t drink – not in that sense. Only straight. I do not like the numbness one suffers when she is drunk of alchohol.” She fingered her own glass, intent upon watching the particles of liquid as they floated throughout the amber juice.
“Are you meeting with Nessyr soon?”
Solreyah sighed, smiling slightly. “Not till tonight. I think he...likes me. I still don’t know. In the immediate future, all we’ll be doing is training together. It’s nice to have a partner in the field who you can compete against, if you’ve done that before. We love match-offs. They give us strength, time to exercise our strengths and our weaknesses, and to identify our abilities.”
Drena returned Solreyah’s smile. “It seems you’ve been having a field day, then.”
“No different than the usual.”
“I suppose not,” Drena replied, and the pair lapsed into silence.
The noon sun crested above the horizon at Byreth Hold. Rays of warmth and light flooded the small room Solreyah Fenir slept in, but none did the sudden light nor warmth disturb Solreyah, for she was up and about, strapping on her new warrior’s fittings. She smiled. Under Drena Caniik’s suggestion, the Council had accepted Solreyah as one of the Warriors, a day Solreyah swore she would not forget.
Nessyr Rey entered the room softly, gazing about with wonder. Solreyah beamed at him and said, “Byantha is ready, is she not? She is so new here – I wish I knew where she came from.” Solreyah sighed wistfully. “She is a Warrior, she had everything already practiced and gone through when she arrived, which makes me wonder.”
“You should learn never to wonder about your future but only about what is happening this instant, Solreyah,” Nessyr admonished her gently. “That is what my old master used to say, before I became a Warrior. And yes, Byantha and I are both ready, so if you wouldn’t mind, we can set out to the Tournament now. We’re on the same team, you know,” he added, “with two others, one from Elgan, the other from Nolgeth. I’ll introduce you to them once we’re there.”
By the time they reached the Tournament fields, it was about ten o’clock. The judges and the referee sat above, in a small, elegantly carved rosewood box. The crowd was beginning to assemble on the marble seats above, enjoying the radiant sunlight – the first Byreth had seen in weeks. Solreyah hurried into the back to slip of her cloak and meet the other contestants.
“Reylon, of Nolgeth Hold,” said one of their team members, a tall, friendly-looking girl with amber eyes and bronze hair. “It’s good you’re here – I’ve heard you and the other two are the best at Byreth. I’m best at Nolgeth, same with my friend here.”
“Vantieve, of Elgan,” the other said in a strong voice. “I offer our team luck. We must work as one, not as five.”
Solreyah could not suppress a smile – she had heard that warning countless times before, and not just from friends. She watched as one team entered the stadium, all of the largest hold there was: Sargaun. The referee announced their names grandly, then adding, “And for team two, we have...”
Nessyr pushed Solreyah forth. “...Reylon of Nolgeth Hold! Solreyah of Byreth Hold! Byantha of Byreth Hold! Nessyr of Byreth Hold...and, finally, Vantieve of Elgan Hold!”
The sunlight seemed more intense than ever, beating down brokenly on the five team mates tanned backs. Solreyah relaxed herself, knowing that is she was tense she would certainly cause her teammates to fail. Nessyr seemed ready to charge the other team, but thankfully he did not – in fact, the other team charged them.
Those of Team Two spread out in a wide web, attempting to injure as much of their opponents as possible. Team One snarled as spears flicked their sides, and they ran completely past the other team in their haste. Reylon was smiling, hefting two long swords. Her attitude and posture obviously said, “Come and get me.”
She fell into an passionate battle with another of the Warriors of Team One – a young man in his prime, holding a sword and shield. Needless to say, he used the shield most often. Solreyah was attending to a girl just older than herself. She had resorted to using daggers against her opponent, and several times they had injured each other – though not severely enough to decide the fight.
Nessyr had taken to a large boy, and he fought side by side with Vantieve, who had already downed a young girl. Byantha was struggling to Solreyah’s side with a noticeable limp, though her opponent, a girl much older than any of them, was also down, moaning of her injuries.
In a flash, Nessyr fell, and Vantieve surged forth to take full acceptance of his place. The other boy grinned hysterically, perhaps of the knowledge that he could easily down Vantieve, but it was not so. Soon, Byantha was down, and the girl that fought Solreyah injured Vantieve badly enough for him to be disqualified for the rest of the round. Rey-lon and her opponent had both been taken off the grounds. Solreyah was the last standing on the field.
The girl cut towards Solrayh’s chest in a deadly feint, but Solreyah anticipated the move and cut across the girl’s forehead, ducking her opponent’s strikes. The girl pinned Solreyah to the ground, and she was about to declare victory when Solreyah rolled and jumped, pinning her opponent down with a blazing fury in her eyes.
She held the girl down viciously. Whenever her opponent struggled, Solreyah jabbed a dagger towards her threateningly, and the girl stopped. With a trembling voice, the referee declared her victory.
Only afterwards did Solreyah wonder at what she had done. Was it not against the rules to rise after you have fallen? Was it not right? But the referee had accepted it... because the girl had not had time to declare victory before Solreyah rose, which made it Soleyrah’s victory, not the girl’s. She let out a breath of relief. Next time she would per-haps read the Tournament rules more carefully, but for now, the trophy was Team Two’s.
Menawhile, Solreyah knew nothing of Reylon’s departure from the living and of Byantha’s new identity as a cripple. Nor did she know of Nessyr and Vantieve’s captivity. In this, she was an ignoramus.
Skulir Taima rose, eyes flashing in the midmorning sun. The mountains beyond shimmered as if they were merely a vision or a mirage. Taima sighed, glancing about her. It had only been recently that Rianth had left to return to his duties and Master Savinir.
|
|
|
|
